It Takes A Village
by BeebleZeeble
Summary: Originally written for Goldenlake's 2018 "Christmas in June," written for Idleness' prompt: The SOTL generation gossiping about the younger generation. Alanna is on an intelligence gathering mission regarding a certain new page.


It was hard getting what she needed at first.

Alanna liked to think that George had taught her well, but in truth she knew she didn't have the patience to really do an operation like this justice. Information gathering efforts were also slightly hampered by her vow to stay away from Corus entirely. While emotionally Alanna stood by her choice, she had to admit logistically speaking she had made her project a lot more difficult. But Alanna was determined- she was going to help Keladry no matter what, even if she had to do it in secret.

First she started with the basics, things she knew with certainty that Keladry would find useful. Alanna had felt good after she sent that first package out, like a small weight had been lifted from her heart. She realized as she had picked out the belt knife that she wasn't even angry at Jonathan anymore, so much as she was deeply disappointed in him. Alanna knew she would always love Jonathan, but someday she was going to have to stop being so surprised by those times her king chose the circumspect path over the righteous one.

The belt knife was fine, but Alanna wanted her help to be more meaningful. She needed to find someone who was connected enough to the pages that they would know what Keladry needed, but also wouldn't tell Jon that Alanna had been snooping around.

Thayet seemed a likely choice, as her eldest was currently a page. Some might argue that the queen was the absolute last person Alanna should have confided in about disobeying her king, but Alanna knew Thayet would never betray her. Besides being a stalwart friend, there was no one else who better understood how much one could love Jon and yet still want to strangle him at the same time. It didn't surprise Alanna in the least to discover that Thayet was nearly as invested in Keladry's success as she was. After all, Thayet had nearly upended her entire marriage over Kally's right to train. Thayet seemed to view Kel as a redo, an opportunity to make things right, even if all she could do was watch from afar.

"You know Roald doesn't tell me anything," Thayet grumbled, swatting lazily at a fly. Alanna had come to meet the Riders as they hunted bandits in the hills near Tusaine, and was already regretting it. The insects in the hill country this time of year were monsters. "He's so serious about being a prince, he worries me sometimes. I think he studies in his room most nights so as to not get caught up in inter-page conflicts," Thayet said with a sigh. The two women had talked about this before, both having shy sons they sometimes struggled to understand.

"But he knows what Jon was like as a page," Alanna said, as she shooed something nasty off of Darkmoon's neck. "Jon certainly never hid from fights, nor from reminding us that he was the prince. How can Roald be so cautious?"

Thayet shrugged. "Kally likes to make her own mistakes; Roald would rather learn from others. He heard all those stories from you, and Jon, and Raoul, and Gary, and what he heard was 'Never ever act like this, or bad things will happen'. He'd rather hide than risk getting into trouble."

Alanna knew that what Thayet really meant was that Roald was afraid of getting his parents into trouble. Jon's parents were beloved by almost all in the kingdom, and so nothing he did seemed to reflect poorly on them. Whereas Jon and Thayet were beloved by some but hated by far too many others. Any prince of theirs caught with a toe out of line could undermine progressivism in Tortall for years to come. This was another thing Alanna and Thayet had talked about before: the weights their children carried for them.

Suddenly a mischievous light entered the queen's eye, startling Alanna out of her somber thoughts.

"What?" Alanna asked, knowing that look all too well.

"Maybe I do know someone who might be able to help you," Thayet grinned as her pony delicately stepped over a log. "Roald did tell me who Keladry's sponsor is, and his father might be very eager to speak with you about his son's progress."

"Thayet, out with it," Alanna snapped. Thayet's cheek was making her nervous. _What, some conservative who'll trade me info if I curry favor for his halfwit son?_ she thought.

Thayet's grin broadened. "I hear Nealan of Queenscove has taken our lass under his wing. His father is still lamenting that his son has left the university, and might be pleased to hear from someone who has walked the road of both knight and healer."

Alanna considered, feeling relief flow through her body. Baird was a friend, and the more she thought, the more she couldn't believe she hadn't come up with him on her own.

"Although obviously you haven't heard this from me," Thayet said primly, "As you know I would never think of going behind my Lord's back." At this the two women laughed until they cried, the sound ringing through the trees until Sarge rode up to scold them for behaving like trainees.

* * *

The Duke of Queenscove did not often leave Corus, but as fall began to turn into winter, a quick spreading fever showed up in a village just over a day's ride from the Swoop. Alanna was more than capable of healing the village herself, but the symptoms were just a bit odd, and it was decided that Baird would go with her to study the ill, just in case the fever began to spread outside of the small fishing village.

After a long day of tending to the ill, Alanna and Baird began the arduous task of setting up their camp. This village was far too small to have an inn, and neither Alanna nor Baird wanted to displace the weakened villagers, so they had decided to set up tents a safe distance away from the headman's house, where the sick had been brought. After a quick camp dinner, and discussing their notes on the illness, Alanna tried to casually bring the conversation around to the pages, starting with one in particular.

"Neal is doing fine, I think," Baird said in response to her inquiry. His smile was warm, but Alanna could see the worry in his eyes. "He doesn't get on with the training master- no surprises there-" Alanna couldn't help the angry snort that escaped her at this, but Baird continued on with only the twinkle in his eyes to show that he had heard her, "But I am told that he is competent with his training and is proficient in his schoolwork, so I suppose that is something." Baird sighed deeply. "The gods don't like it when you ignore their gifts, as you yourself know. I cannot force Nealan down a path he truly does not want to walk, but I worry about him abandoning his studies. I think he's meant to do more with his Gift than heal small bumps and bruises, and he's throwing it all away because he grieves for his brothers." At this Baird looked down into his mug of tea, his head hanging low.

Alanna thought of her children then, and how it would feel to watch her own Gifted son in this same predicament, and her heart squeezed. It had hurt to see Baird in mourning, and to see him so worried about his once youngest son. While Maude was her first healing teacher, Baird was the man who taught her almost everything she knew about advanced healing. He had accepted her as both Alan and Alanna, and had always nurtured her skills. Alanna knew she owed her life, and the lives of so many others she had come across, to Baird's teachings. Before she could think to talk herself out of it, Alanna suddenly made a decision.

"Grief can take you down odd paths," Alanna said. "But training for knighthood is no lark. If your son sticks with it after his page years, I promise I will help him in anyway that I can." Baird's head snapped up as he turned to look at her, trying to assess if she was saying what he thought she was. There was really only one way she could help Neal as a squire, and it was unheard of coming from her. "After all," Alanna continued, "I learned how to heal as a squire, and I turned out alright. Although, in my case I learned from the best, and your poor Neal would be stuck learning from me," she said, aiming a warm grin at her old teacher.

The relief in Baird's eyes pushed away the immediate doubt and regret Alanna had felt eating at the edges of her._ I really didn't want a squire_, Alanna thought, _But it's worth it, just to even begin to repay Baird_. Out loud she said, "Please don't say anything, to anyone. You know it's quite frowned upon for knights to pick squires before they're done being pages, it will reflect poorly on both Nealan and I if anyone knows we've even had this conversation before he's passed the big examinations."

Baird nodded, "It feels like bad luck. Besides, I still think there's a chance Neal might drop out and return to the university. I suspect he's not going to enjoy Lord Wyldon's upcoming tilting practices."

Alanna had completely forgotten her initial reason for asking about Neal in all that followed, and it wasn't until they had doused the fire and crawled into their respective bedrolls that Alanna had remembered. "With Neal being so much older, how is making friends going?" Alanna tried her best to be casual, she put on her most breezy unaffected tone and tried to copy how George might have done it, but really it didn't surprise her how quickly Baird saw through her charade.

"Are you asking about one friend in particular?" Baird asked, and she could practically hear his grin through the darkness as he replied. Alanna struggled to think of how to respond, but thankfully Baird saved her from that. "Keladry is a fine young lady, you'll be happy to know. Neal's her sponsor, and they've become fairly close. She's really the catalyst that got him comfortable with the other younger pages as well."

Alanna figured she could drop the pretenses now. "What is she like?" she asked, unable to hide the hunger in her voice.

Baird thought for a moment, then replied quietly, "She's very serious, way too serious for a ten year old child. Neal thinks that's the Yamani culture in her. She's quiet, but not out of a lack of things to say. Neal tells me that she can be quite funny when she wants to be, and that she's stubborn about doing what's right. She's kind, to animals, to servants, and to other pages, particularly those she views as small or weak. She's very brave, Neal frets about the fights she gets into with other pages who are bigger than she is. She fights the bullies."

"A time honored tradition," Alanna replied quietly. She was glad of the darkness, as it hid her over bright eyes. Kel was everything she could have dreamed of, and more. She hadn't realized until this moment just how afraid she was that Keladry might have been a mistake. What if she were cruel? Or stupid? Or flighty? Or too weak? What if Kel failed, and ruined everything? What kind of monster was _she_, for putting that pressure on a mere girl? Alanna had tried to keep the worries out, but they hounded her. If Kel failed, then that would be it. Alanna's life would have meant nothing, that she were merely a tool of the gods and nothing else.

But Kel wasn't cruel, or stupid, or weak. She was strong, and kind, and utterly wonderful. She was tough, and she was determined.

Kel was going to make it, and Alanna was going to make sure of it.


End file.
